The present invention relates generally to a condiment dispenser device. More specifically, the present invention relates to a single portion food condiment dispenser for dispensing condiments such as ketchup, mustard, and the like.
There have been many attempts in the general dispenser art to provide an apparatus capable of evacuating the entire volume of material contained in the dispensing tube. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,521,795 issued to Langhjeh et al teaches a full discharge dispensing container having a plunger element to assist in urging the material out of the tube. Langhjeh et al employs various types of nozzles to assist in the dispensing of pastes, such as toothpaste. U.S. Pat. No. 5,137,177 issued to Willis discloses a dispensing tube employing a spherical plunger ball and a tube with circumferential ridges for incremented movement of the plunger ball. Both of these prior art devices are designed for pastes and creams, such as toothpaste. Each require complex nozzle arrangements, particularly Langhjeh et al, and provide no means for spreading the material once dispensed.
In the food industry, particularly the fast food industry, it has been well known to employ a tube-like plastic member for housing condiment items such as ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise. Typically, prior art condiment dispensers include a tubular member for housing the food condiment which is subsequently crimped at the tube's two opposing ends employing known methods. Upon use, one of the crimped ends of the tubular package is severed permitting the food condiment to exit. The user must squeeze the package to urge the food condiment out of the package and onto the food article, such as a hamburger, to be eaten. To insure that the entire volume of the food condiment is evacuated from the tube, the user often pinches the tube and slides his fingers along the length of the tube to urge the condiment out of the tube. Many times, two hands are required to accomplish this; one hand holds the tube while the other hand slides along the length of the tube to urge the material out. Such action requires the food article to be placed on a table, the user's lap, or the like, so the food condiment can be applied thereon. However, many instances arise where the food condiment must be applied with one hand while the other hand holds the food article. In such a situation, the food condiment is dispensed in an inefficient and uncleanly manner. Moreover, in this situation, it is unlikely that the entire volume of food condiment will be urged out of the tube. As a result, a tremendous amount of food condiment is wasted and thrown away.
Prior art food condiment dispensers, which are readily available at fast food restaurants, are extremely unsanitary. Even though the food condiment is packaged in a sanitary and air-tight manner, the method of dispensing and applying the food condiment to the food article destroys the sanitary state of the food condiment. With a prior art condiment dispenser, the food condiment may be applied to any desired location in any configuration by the user. However, it is often necessary for the user to spread the food condiment on the surface of the food article to obtain a preferred even coating of the food condiment on the food article. To accomplish this, the food condiment tube dispenser itself is often used to spread the food condiment evenly on the food article. Such a use is unsanitary due to the likelihood that the outer surface of the dispenser is dirty due to handling by employees and storage in uncleanly containers. As a result, prior art condiment dispensers are inadequate for providing a completely sanitary food condiment dispenser which is capable of dispensing and spreading the entire volume of the food condiment contained therein.